Perhaps the only thing that changes more rapidly than technology in today's amped-up digital environment is the terminology used to describe that technology and its impact on consumers--and marketers. One recent example is the advent of the term "omnichannel" marketing, which many struggle to differentiate from another relatively recent term--"multichannel" marketing. Still, those who are most enmeshed in the field say there is a key distinction between the two, and it's one that will have an impact on marketers as they continue to seek ways of having a meaningful impact on the consumers they hope to engage. And, importantly, it's less about technology than it may seem.

Macromedia Introduces Director MX

Macromedia, Inc. has announced Macromedia Director MX, a multimedia authoring environment for building high-end, rich, interactive content and applications deployed on CD/DVD-ROM, kiosks, and the Web via Macromedia Shockwave Player. New features of Macromedia Director MX include integration with the Macromedia Flash MX product family, adoption of the streamlined Macromedia MX user interface, Mac OS X support, new workflow efficiencies, and the ability to create accessible content so that rich Director presentations can be enjoyed by people with disabilities.

Macromedia Director MX enables users to author content once and deliver it anywhere, whether it is online or offline. Director MX supports most major video, audio, bitmap, 3D, and vector formats to give developers the broadest content palette from which to deliver sophisticated, compelling user experiences. Extensive video capabilities within Director MX allow developers to stream video files that are minutes or hours in length and natively supported with QuickTime, RealVideo, and AVI. New users will benefit from the ability to create content using drag-and-drop behaviors, while experienced users can use Lingo, the powerful, object-oriented scripting language in Director. Director MX enables users to launch and edit Macromedia Flash from within Director to make quick content changes, and also gives developers direct control over Macromedia Flash MX content through Lingo. Director MX is integrated with Macromedia Flash server technologies including Macromedia Flash Remoting to enable a secure, high performance connection between Macromedia ColdFusion MX and Shockwave Player, and Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX for multi-user games, streaming Macromedia Flash video, and real-time collaboration.

Director now includes advanced debugging features such as an Object Inspector with data browser functionality and color-coding of recently changed variables. A unified script and debugging window, split-pane message window, and script window buttons reduce development time. Macromedia Director MX, expected to ship in December, is priced at $1,199 for new users, $399 for users upgrading from versions 8.0 or 8.5, with educational pricing at $499. Government and corporate volume licensing will also be available. Director MX, which is available for Mac OS X 10.1 or higher, and for Windows 98 SE, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, will be available online at the Macromedia Store and in the U.S. and Canada in December 2002. Localized versions for French, German, and Japanese will be available at a later date. Macromedia Shockwave Player will not be updated for this release. Director MX will ship with a copy of Macromedia Flash Communication Server MX, Personal Edition.